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Storytime in Asia

Storytime in India

August 27, 2012 — Excited students read Penguin donation, Llama, Llama Home with Mama, at Gangotri Public School.

Gangotri Public School is located in Seelampur, Delhi, a community with one of the poorest literacy levels in the country. About 65% of the students are first-generation learners. Most of their parents run small tea stalls, vegetable carts, or tailoring shops, earn a daily wage at construction sites, or hold entry-level jobs. They find it very difficult to afford books for their kids.

Photo by Naresh Maholtra

The school of 700 students does not have basic amenities such as playgrounds, a staff room, or basic science lab. A small reading center was established last year when students from grades 6 to 8 raised funds.

Books for Asia recently partnered with Teach for India – a nationwide movement of outstanding college graduates and young professionals who teach in under-resourced schools for two years – to provide books to schools such as Gangotri Public School.